Third term tornado – will Ernest be another Putin?

Whether President Ernest Bai Koroma will run for a third term or not is the most heated political debate now in Sierra Leone.  President Koroma himself is yet to make a public statement to tell this nation whether he intends becoming another Vladimir Putin to run a third term or another Ahmed Tejan Kabba to gracefully exit the political arena after two term prompt.

Balogun Koroma, Robin Falley and their third term disciples have been busy pleading with President Koroma to run thrice based on what they refer to as the exemplary good works of the President.  But the president has all this while been keeping a sealed lip on the matter.

As the third term political tornado keeps raging, two schools of thought have arisen. There those who hold that any attempt by the President to run a third term may render him democratically unpopular nationally and internally.  They strongly believe a third for President Koroma bears the potential disintegrate the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) as many of those eying the enviable position may grow disgruntled and abandon the party.

There are others who think that President Koroma deserves more than a third term in office; they are of the view that he even deserves life presidency by virtue of his giant development strides, his peaceful nature, and his generosity towards the poor and ordinary man on the street.

Both the pro-third term and anti-third term advocates should not be condemned as they have the legitimate right to their political opinions. In a truly democratic setting, everybody has his or her opinion as long as such an opinion does not jeopardize state security or violate the rights of other people. It is left with the President whether he wants to follow the Putin path or the Mandela and Kabba path. The ball is in his court.

But many well–meaning and democratically inclined Sierra Leoneans who are very aware of the decent nature of the President have bet their lives that he is too decent to attempt a third Presidential contest unless he does not identify any person that has the capacity and political maturity to flagbear the party in the next elections.  Sometimes it is expedient to do a little wrong to achieve a great right but there is the wise saying that it is best to drop the bone when it is sweetest.  The fact is that the third term political debate is crucial to the sustainability of our fragile democracy and whatever decision the President will have to take will be a political Precedent.

The people of Russia, called on Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin to seve them for a third term due to a job they considered well done and even more, and he, Putin said no but the people of Russia said yes. The people, in their power put him back to power.

Why not you, Koroma? If it’s the people’s will, so be it…

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